Forest: ©Adobe Stock/Pellinni
PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKSKELBYONE.COMSTEP TWO: Go to File>Place Embedded
and choose the image you’d like to use
for this project. If you’d like to download
the low-res watermarked version of this
image to follow along, click this link,
log in with your Adobe ID, and click
the Save to Library button. Drag the
downloaded image in the Libraries panel
(Window>Libraries) to the background
image in Photoshop.
Either way, Photoshop places the
document as a smart object which
makes it easy to scale and position.
Scale the stock image and place it so
the clump of trees at the bottom appear
to sit within the coffee cup. It’s helpful
to temporarily reduce the Opacity of
the layer in the Layers panel to around
50% while transforming it to get the fit
just right. Just remember to restore the
layer to full 100% Opacity after placing
it where you need it. Press Enter to
commit the placement.STEP THREE: Grab the Quick Selection
tool (nested below the Object Selection
tool [W] in the Toolbar) and use it to
create a selection of the front trees.
Click the Select and Mask button in the
Options Bar to enter the Select and Mask
workspace. Set the View menu in the
Properties panel to Overlay (V) and the
Opacity to 50%. Use the Refine Edge
Brush tool (R) to refine the selection
around the tops of the trees. Then set
the Output To drop-down menu in the
Output Settings section to Layer Mask,
and click OK to return to the regular
Photoshop interface.